By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

PARK HILLS, Mo. - The stage was set for the Lady Bearcats to advance in the State Tournament Wednesday (March 2) night at Mineral Area College. All the young Lady ‘Cats had to do was get past a seasoned Farmington Knightette team. Despite a slow first quarter and getting dominated on the glass all night, the Lady ‘Cats were able to play with Farmington for the last three quarters, but Farmington came out on top with a 68-44 final score.

Hannah Noe started the game with a three-point play for the Lady ‘Cats at the 7:25 mark, but Farmington was able to put up 12 unanswered points in the next three minutes. A 12-footer from Brittany Harris ended the Knightette scoring spree and set the score at 13-5 with 4:40 left in the first. Brittany Gladbach hit a deep trey for Farmington at the 4:10 mark, and teammate Tayhlor Milfeld followed suit with 1:00 left in the first quarter. With a 24-7 Farmington lead after one, the Lady’ Cats had to pick up their play or face a blowout.

Rachel Williams was a force to be reckoned with during the second quarter, putting up nine points, four rebounds, and a block in the frame. Harris provided most of Dexter’s offense, putting up six of the Lady ‘Cats‘ nine points in the frame. Dexter’s defense showed up in the second quarter, with Alison Jarrell and Harris having a steal apiece and Noe coming up with two. The Lady ‘Cats also held Farmington to 12 points in the frame - their lowest in the contest. Despite a solid defensive effort in the quarter, the Knightettes held a bit 19-point lead going into halftime.

Brittany Gladbach hit a three for Farmington on their first possession of the second half, and helping the Knightettes put up another nine unanswered. A Mollie Whitehead free-throw at the 5:20 mark ended the scoring spree, and Erika Cobb hit a 12-footer on the ensuing possesion. Noe drained a three for the Lady ‘Cats with 3:45 left in the third. Whitehead had a block with just over 2:00 left on the clock. Harris fouled out for the ‘Lady Cats during the last minute of the frame, but Jarrell hit her only three of the contest with time expiring to cut the Knightette lead to 21 points.

Farmington’s free-throw shooting skills were put on display in the closing quarter of the contest, but the Knightettes were able to connect on seven of their eight attempts. Paige Patterson led the way for the Lady ‘Cats in the fourth, putting up five points and hauling in three rebounds in the frame. Katelynn Frazier came up with a steal and took it the length of the floor for an easy bucket with 3:30 left in the contest, but the ‘Lady Cats couldn’t get any offensive consistency in the frame. The Knightettes found themselves on top after the final buzzer, winning by 24 points and advancing to the next round of the tournament.

“They [Farmington] did a great job of getting out on us early and taking advantage of our mistakes,” LBB head coach Chad Allen said after the loss. “They’re a veteran team with a lot of seniors. Farmington seemed a lot more fluid and got the ball inside to their bigs since the last time we played them. They looked like the best team we’ve played all year, and they’ll go far.”

Allen noted foul trouble and a slow start in the first half as key factors in the loss.

“We got into foul trouble early, especially Brittany [Harris],” Allen continued. “I thought that was a big part of it. Overall, I just felt like we didn’t come out and compete hard at the beginning of the game.”



 Despite a dissapointing loss to end a great 2010-2011 season, the Lady ‘Cats ended with an 18-10 record. Allen seemed optimistic about this young group’s future.

“Our girls have progressed so much throughout the course of this year. They’ve definitely grown up a lot since the first game,” Allen said of his team. “I’m proud of these girls for how hard they’ve worked and how much they’ve improved. There’s never been a team to come through Dexter that was this young that got this much experience. I told them after the game to remember how this feels; we’ve gotta work harder to get better and to get beyond this point in the years to come.”

Photos above Top Photo: Hannah Noe drives to the basket during Wednesday night’s season-ending loss against Farmington.
Bottom photo: Paige Patterson (No. 32), Mollie Whitehead (No. 3) and Erika Cobb (No. 15) all battle Farmington’s Tayhlor Milfeld (No. 12) for a loose ball during the second half of Wednesday night’s action.

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
DEXTER	7	9	17	12	44
FARMINGTON	24	12	18	15	68

DEXTER: Noe-11. Harris-8. Cobb-6. Jarrell-5. Frazier-5. Patterson-5. Whitehead-4.

FARMINGTON: Williams-23. Ankrom-16. Littrell-10. Gladbach-8. Hicks-4. Milfeld-3. Peterson-2. Porter-2.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

Dexter's Lady Bearcats will take to the Mineral Area College Court Wednesday night to try their jousting skills against the Farmington Knightettes.

The Lady ‘Cats put together a season of epic proportions that culminated in something that many thought would never happen - a district title.

Dexter’s roster consists of one senior, one junior, two sophomores, and seven freshman, and the Lady ‘Cats will typically start at least two - most nights three - freshman in any given game.

Dexter goes into Wednesday night’s contest coming off a close 56-52 win over rival Notre Dame for the District 1 Title. With a solid 18-9 record, LBB head coach Chad Allen has great faith in his team’s ability.

“They don’t put their heads down, and they never give up,” Allen said of his team. “They don’t play like freshman and sophomores anymore - they play like juniors and seniors. They’ve definitely grown up a lot this year. Early on in the season, we played weak. I think, overall, they’ve become more aggressive and played stronger throughout the season. I also feel like they’ve gained a lot more confidence. Moving from eighth grade ball to varsity ball is a huge jump. The speed of the game, the physicality of the game, it all changes. We’ve also cut down on turnovers a lot. They’re more patient on offense and playing better as a team now. As the season’s gone on, it just seems like they keep on improving. They’re focused and ready to go. ”

The Lady ‘Cats have been led all season by the one-two punch of sophomore Brittany Harris and freshman Alison Jarrell.

“Brittany’s always active on both ends,” Allen said of Harris. “She definitely gets a lot of rebounds and blocked shots, as well as some great looks inside because she is so active.”

“Alison [Jarrell], even when she misses threes, she keeps on shooting, and that’s what great shooters do,” Allen commented. “Once she knocks down a few, it really opens up the inside and gets Harris some great looks.”

The Lady ‘Cats will face off against the Farmington Knightettes to see who advances in the state bracket. The Knightettes have an impressive record of 20 wins and five losses in the 2010-2011 season.

The Knightettes forced 26 turnovers, and were led by Morgan Ankrom and Rachel Williams (with 17 and 13 points, respectively) to their fifth consecutive Class 4, District 2 title Friday (Feb. 25) night over the North County Lady Raiders.

Admission is $6.00, with no passes accepted per MSHSAA regulations. The doors will open at 5:00 p.m. for the evening’s first game between the Sikeston and Farmington boy’s teams at 6:00, with the Lady ‘Cats and Knightettes facing off in the nightcap at 7:45.

Whoever wins the girl’s game will move on to face the winner of the Notre Dame (St. Louis)-Miller Career Academy game on Saturday (March 5) at the Farmington Civic Center in Farmington, Mo.

Make sure to head to MAC Wednesday night to support your Lady ‘Cats! If you can’t make it, stay tuned to The ShowMe Times for score updates via Facebook and Twitter, and check back Thursday morning for the full story on the Lady ‘Cats game!


Let's Hear It For the Bearcats!

The Dexter Seventh Grade Boys Basketball Team hosted a tournament Saturday with teams from Advance, Bloomfield, Doniphan, Park Hills, Piedmont and Poplar Bluff participating in the double-elimination tournament. Dexter Team members include (front row, from left) Ethan Flowers, Jacob Pedigo, Austin Chesser, Tyler Heil, and Alex Whitehead; (back row, from left) Cody Pullum, Addison Moore, Chandler Young, Cole Renken, and Jacob Crumley. Coaching the team are Chris Guethle (left) and Chris Hyten (right) Congratulations, fellows! 

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

DEXTER, Mo. - In the final game of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament, the No. 3 Notre Dame Bulldogs battled the No. 1 Sikeston Bulldogs. Sikeston held the lead the first three quarters of the contest, but a late offensive surge by Notre Dame saw the ND Bulldogs up by a point early in the fourth quarter. The two teams swapped leads for nearly a minute, but the offensive juggernaut of Sikeston exploded late, putting up 5 points in 10 seconds, and jumping to a 66-52 victory for the District Championship.

Willian Holifield dropped in the first of his four threes for Sikeston early in the first quarter. Sikeston’s defense shut Notre Dame down in the first quarter, and the only shot from the field they gave up was a Joseph Siebert three with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter. Sikeston held a 12-6 lead after the first quarter of play.

Siebert hit his second three of the night for Notre Dame midway through the second quarter, and teammate Jacob Tolbert chipped in five points and four rebounds in the frame. Caleb McGee and Holifield both knocked down trey’s for Sikeston to give the Bulldogs a 28-20 lead going into halftime.

Notre Dame’s picked up their play in the third, holding Sikeston to just 12 points and putting up 20 in the frame. Nathan Meystedt had a big quarter for Notre Dame, contributing 10 points and helping tie the game at 40 apiece after the third.

Sikeston’s offense exploded in the fourth quarter, with Holifield putting in nine points and Janeil Hatchett scoring eight. After a huge play at the 3:15 mark, with Hatchett making a layup, picking off the ensuing inbounds pass, and dumping the ball to Corey Porter for a three point play, the game was Sikeston’s to the end. The Sikeston Bulldogs came out on top over Notre Dame, claiming the District Championship with a 66-52 final score.



With the victory, Sikeston will move on to face Farmington Wednesday (March 2) at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

Photos above Top Photo: Sikeston’s Vashawn Ruffin drives against Notre Dame’s Nathan Meystedt during Friday night’s District Championship game.
Bottom photo: Kl’Ron Coleman tries to squeeze a shot between Notre Dame’s Joseph Seibert (No. 14) and Jacob Tolbert (No. 32).

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
SIKESTON	12	16	12	26	66
NOTRE DAME	6	14	20	12	52

SIKESTON: Hoifield-20. Hatchett-14. C. Porter-14. Jamison-8. McGee-3. Ruffin-2. Howard-2. Gibson-2. Warfield-1.


 NOTRE DAME: Meystedt-16. Tolbert-13. Seibert-6. Beussink-5. Londewer-4. Heisserer-4. Hayes-2. Lynch-2.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

DEXTER, Mo. - After a highly impressive season and great showing in the semifinal round of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament, the young Dexter Lady Bearcats, starting three freshman and two sophomores Friday (Feb. 25) night, faced off against the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs in the District Championship game. After a hard-fought contest, the Lady Bearcats emerged District Champions, defeating Notre Dame with a 56-52 final score.

Hannah Noe dropped in a quick layup for the first points of the night, but Nichole Blattel hit a 10-foot jumper two minutes later to tie the game at two. Dexter’s defense stepped up early, and didn’t allow another field goal until there was less than a minute on the clock in the first quarter. Noe hit a three for the Lady ‘Cats at the 4:30 mark to put Dexter back on top, and hit another trey two minutes later. Alison Jarrell continued to impress with her outside shooting ability, hitting her first of four threes with 1:15 left in the first. A steal and layup from Allyson Bradshaw with under a minute left in the quarter put Notre Dame behind by 10, and the score stayed at 14-4 until the end of the opening frame.

Erika Cobb dropped in a bucket after picking off a Notre Dame pass to start the second quarter. Bradshaw completed a three-point play at the 6:35 mark to bring the score to 16-7, with the Lady ‘Cats still holding the lead. Noe hit her second three of the night two minutes later, but Bradshaw answered with a three of her own with just under 3:00 left in the second. Brittany Harris blocked a jumper by Summer Burger with two minutes left in the half. Bradshaw stole the ball, dropped in a layup, and stole the ensuing inbounds pass with 21 seconds left on the clock to bring the score to 23-17. Jarrel hit her second three of the night with 15 seconds remaining. Cobb picked up a loose ball with 10 seconds left in the half, passed it off to Noe, who missed a 15-footer, but Paige Patterson was right there with a big offensive board and putback at the buzzer to give the Lady ‘Cats a 28-17 lead going into halftime.

Miranda Fowler came up with a steal for the Bulldogs just seven seconds into the third quarter, but Notre Dame was unable to score on the ensuing possession. Jarrell hit her third three of the night at the 7:00 mark, but was quickly answered by Fowler. Patterson came up with two steals for the Lady ‘Cats in the quarter, and the second led to a bucket from Harris. Bradshaw picked up a loose ball and hit a three-point play for Notre Dame with 4:45 left in the third quarter. Mollie Whitehead had an offensive rebound and putback for the ‘Cats at the 2:00 mark. Burger picked of an errant pass for the Bulldogs and dumped the ball of to Bradshaw for an easy bucket to end the third quarter. Notre Dame was able to cut Dexter’s lead to 44-36 after the third quarter.

Harris blocked a 12-footer from Burger to start the fourth quarter. Two free-throws from Bradshaw cut Dexter’s lead to six, but Jarrell again connected from three-point land to put the ‘Cats up 47-38. Burger had a chance for a three-point play at the 5:30 mark, but couldn’t connect on her free-throw attempt. Notre Dame’s age and strength advantage became apparent in the fourth quarter, with Bradshaw and Fowler owning the glass during the frame. Two steals from Nicole Blattel and one from Bradshaw allowed the Bulldogs to pull within one point of Dexter with just 2:15 left in the game. Harris was able to connect on one of two free-throws to put the ‘Cats back up by two. A huge bucket from Noe with just under 45 seconds put the Lady Bearcats up 54-52. Katelynn Frazier hit two of the biggest free-throws of her career for Dexter with 16 seconds left in the game to seal the victory at 56-52, and crown the Lady ‘Cats District Champions.

“We came off hot tonight offensively,” LBB head coach Chad Allen said after the trophy presentation. “Last time we played them, it was 27-18 going into halftime, but it was flipped around to where we had to make the comeback in the second half. Our girls found a way to win and knocked down some big free throws there at the end of the game.”

“Hannah [Noe] and Alison [Jarrell] both hit some big shots for us early on,” Allen commented on the Lady ‘Cats excellent outside shooting in the contest. “Brittany [Harris] got off to a cold start, but Alison and Hannah both stepped up while she [Harris] was struggling, until she got her game going.”


“[Allyson] Bradshaw, you could tell she didn’t want to lose this game,” Allen said of Notre Dame’s star senior. “You could tell that she just took over in the second half. She’s a great shooter, great scorer, but our girls just didn’t give up. They never put their heads down, they never quit playing. It seemed like we had three or four timeouts there in a short time span, and every time we got them over there we just tried to calm them down. When you have such a young team like this, its tough as a coach, but they kept on battling and got it done on the floor.”



With the victory, the Lady Bearcats improved to 18-9 on the year, and will move on to the first round of the state playoffs. They will face Farmington Wednesday (March 3) night at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.

Photos above Top Photo: The Lady Bearcats raise their trophy after a close victory over Notre Dame Friday night.
Middle photo: Mollie Whitehead puts up a layup during the Lady 'Cats 56-52 victory.
Bottom photo: Katelynn Frazier drives past Notre Dame's Summer Burger (No. 13)

                                                                     

	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	FINAL
DEXTER	14	14	16	12	56
NOTRE DAME	4	13	19	16	52

DEXTER: Jarrell-14. Harris-13. Noe-13. Whitehead-7. Cobb-4. Frazier-3. Patterson-2.

NOTRE DAME: Bradshaw-31. Fowler-7. Burger-7. Blattel-7.